Centre for Music Psychology
The psychology of music or music psychology, is a branch of musicology and psychology. Music psychology focuses on investigating the science of the psychological aspects of music. The Centre for Music Psychology has a particular interest in focusing on the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of listening to music and being a musician or singer.
The Centre for Music Psychology will be developing a research hub to bring together music psychology research.
The part-time Director is Prof Stephen Palmer PhD, a Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and long-term devotee of jazz. He has a number of academic posts.
As a Centre we support the UN International Jazz Day. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “This is a day to honour jazz and its enduring legacy, as well as to recognize the power of this music to bring people together.”
The event organisors ask – Why Jazz? And provide a list of good reasons:
- Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
- Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
- Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
- Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
- Jazz fosters gender equality;
- Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
- Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
- Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.
The above list highlights the benefits of music and in particular, jazz. Now let’s underpin these findings with more research.
How to Relieve Stress by Listening to Music
The video How to Relieve Stress by Listening to Music is part of the series: Anxiety & Depression. To relieve stress by listening to music, use music as a distraction from your anxiety.
Does Music Change a Child’s Brain? | John Iversen | TEDxSanDiego
Music is a central part of life for many of us, whether we listen, dance or play. It can shape our mood or transport our imagination, but what is going on in our brain? Can music be used to help an ailing brain, or boost a learning one? The UCSD SIMPHONY project, in collaboration with the San Diego Youth Symphony, is attempting to answer these questions by studying if music training has an impact on the development of children’s brains and other key skills.
What specific experiences might shape the growth of specific brain circuits? By understanding music’s power to shape the brain, our hope is to be a part of the answer to this groundbreaking question.
John Iversen is a UCSD neuroscientist studying music, language and the brain in an effort to understand how we perceive rhythm, and how musical rhythm can be used in medicine. John is also directing the SIMPHONY project, an ambitious collaborative longitudinal study of the impact of music training on brain and behavioral development. By night he’s the co-founder of San Diego Taiko, a group dedicated to sharing the dynamic energy of Japanese taiko drumming with the community.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
Links:
Useful Music Psychology Websites
The Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (Sempre)